Jared Padalecki Slams The CW After Walker Canceled
Jared Padalecki might have the claim of being someone who has been involved with The CW network longer than any other actor. Both his shows, Gilmore Girls and Supernatural, moved from WB to The CW in 2006, and Padalecki has been on shows with the network ever since–with his Walker, Texas Ranger reboot, titled Walker, being the most recent. But now that the series finale has aired and Walker has been canceled, it seems Padalecki has some choice feelings about how the network has changed since 2006.
Padalecki Says The CW Has Changed
Speaking to Variety, Jared Padalecki answered a question about whether The CW gave a reason for the cancellation, saying, “ I talked with the head of CBS and the head of Nexstar/CW, I talked with the other [executive producers] on Walker, and I think it was a multivariate kind of issue. My understanding is — and again, this is just what I’m told — that Nexstar is going in a different direction with The CW.”
Padalecki also said the network has changed, saying, “I feel like The CW that I was a part of last year is not The CW that I was a part of under [former chairman and CEO] Mark Pedowitz for that entire, almost 20-year stretch.”
Moving To Unscripted Content
Jared Padalecki summed up his feelings saying, “I think it felt to me like they were looking for really easy, cheap content that they could fill up time with.” Padalecki is referring to Nexstar recently acquiring a majority stake in The CW, and the company reportedly is focusing more on unscripted shows and low-cost acquisitions.
In other words, Padalecki isn’t necessarily wrong in his assessment, and it’s understandable he feels slighted by his well-received show getting canceled before it was able to end on its own terms.
Walker’s Finale
After all, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles helped to make The CW as popular as it is today with the hugely successful Supernatural, which did end on its own terms after 15 seasons. Padalecki and his Walker team also opted not to shoot an alternate ending when they were in danger of cancellation, so there are some cliffhangers that were left a little open-ended in the finale.
Fans of Walker definitely aren’t happy about that, and it’s yet another frustrating cancellation after numerous shows were canceled during Warner Bros and CBS’ attempts to cut costs and sell the network.
Reuniting With Kripke
Although Walker is ending, along with Jared Padalecki’s decades-long relationship with The CW, there is one silver lining to the whole story. Namely the fact that Walker being canceled means that Padalecki is freed to reunite with Supernatural creator Eric Kripke in his current show The Boys.
When asked about the potential of him showing up in The Boys, Padalecki said, “It’s not been written yet, but I think he was saying [the final season] doesn’t even film until 2025,” confirming, “So yeah, I’m going to go play in Kripke’s newest playground.”
The Boys
Although we have no idea who Jared Padalecki will play in the next and final season of The Boys, he won’t be the first Supernatural star that Kripke has brought along for the ride. His co-lead, Jensen Ackles, appeared last season as Soldier Boy and both Jim Beaver and Jeffrey Dean Morgan play characters on the show.
Whether Padalecki plays a Supe or someone else, it’ll be cool to see him on a show like The Boys, especially if his character ends up crossing paths with Soldier Boy.
We’ll just have to wait and see who Jared Padalecki ends up playing on The Boys. In the meantime, new episodes of The Boys will hit Prime Video every Thursday until the season finale. You can stream the fourth and final season of Walker on The CW’s website.
Source: Variety
